Brunch Clafouti: The Pop Quiz

For the following quiz, use a No. 2 pencil and a soft eraser. Do not use a pen or mechanical pencil. An essay written in pen will not scan and receives a score of zero. Cell phone use is prohibited.

MULTIPLE CHOICE

According to recipe source Serious Eats (who got the idea from Nicole Rees’ Baking Unplugged), clafouti is:

A) a fruit-studded baked custard typically eaten as a dessert
B) a new Kanye West song, featuring Ne-Yo and Wayne Newton
C) a lovely, albeit humid region of Morocco
D) a pancreatic ailment

The most hilarious alternate name for Brunch Clafouti is:

A) Brunch Dougflutie
B) Brunch Nicebooty
C) Flunch Majooti
D) Egg and Fruit Thing

The following can be used in Brunch Clafouti, according to your personal taste:

A) Strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries
B) Lamb shanks, pig tails, or cow fangs
C) Motor oil, coffee grounds, or road tar
D) Lions, tigers, or bears (oh my)


TRUE OR FALSE

You should use an oven-safe pan to make Brunch Clafouti.

A) TRUE. That’s highly logical.
B) FALSE. I love melting stuff.

Thanks to the addition of liquor (Amaretto, Grand Marnier, etc.), you will get totally wasted off Brunch Clafouti, causing you to wander the mean streets of Brooklyn sans pants, until a homeless man is forced to take you under his wing, except “under his wing” means “into a secret band of elite assassins posing as homeless people to get a better scope of the area,” where you’ll spend several years becoming a top-notch internationally-renowned killer, until the clafouti buzz eventually wears off and you slink back home in a cat crate in the luggage compartment of an airplane to Cleveland.

A) TRUE. Sounds like fun.
B) FALSE. The alcohol cooks off, leaving nothing but flava behind.

Apropos of nothing, when you’re done reading this post, you should head over to Serious Eats, where my Monday column features a tasty, frugal CHG reader suggestion: Curried Cauliflower Soup with Honey.

A) TRUE. Ooo! Soup!
B) FALSE. Ew! Soup!
C) UNDECIDED. Woo? Soup?


FILL IN THE BLANK

Making Brunch Clafouti is kind of like making _______.

A) a frittata
B) a replica of Excalibur out of discarded drinking straws and adobe
C) whoopee
D) I have to go to the bathroom.

Substituting three egg whites for two whole eggs (called for in the original recipe) cuts about ten grams of _____.

A) fat
B) crack-cocaine
C) DELIGHT
D) No, seriously. I have to go. I had two cups of coffee this morning.

George Clooney is _____.

A) A lover of Brunch Clafoutis the world over
B) Handsome, but getting a little long in the tooth.
C) Handsome and ageless. Choice B obviously doesn’t know what it’s talking about.
D) Time to hit the ladies room.

Thank you for completing this test. The answer to every question was D.


Brunch Clafouti
Adapted from Serious Eats
Makes 4 servings

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, divided (if using cranberries, double the sugar)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
3 large egg whites
1 cup (scant) 2% milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups fresh fruit, such as pitted cherries or raspberries (I used blueberries – Kris)
3 tablespoons brandy, amaretto, Grand Marnier, or Cointreau—whatever you have on hand
Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)

1) Preheat oven to 425°F.

2) In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt. Whisk together. Once mixed, slowly whisk eggs in. Everything should be smooth when you're finished. Add milk and extracts. Whisk again until smooth. 

3) Heat a medium oven-safe skillet over medium heat. After about 2 minutes, add butter. Melt, "swirling to coat evenly." Add remaining sugar. Add fruit. Jack heat up to medium high. Cook until fruit makes a syrup, around 3 minutes, shaking frequently. (Note: SE says the syrup process will be longer for cranberries.)

4) Kill heat and remove pan from burner. Pour in brandy. Shake the pan to coat the fruit with the brandy. Add egg mixture. Bake 10 to 12 minutes "in the upper third of the oven." The clafouti should be puffy and totally cooked when you pull it. (Check the center with a toothpick or knife to see.) Remove from oven, dust with sugar, and serve right away.

Approximate Calories, Fat, and Price Per Serving
247 calories, 5.6 g fat, $0.95

Calculations
1/2 cup all-purpose flour: 228 calories, 0.6 g fat, $0.05
1/4 cup sugar, divided: 194 calories, 0 g fat, $0.08
1/4 teaspoon salt: negligible calories and fat, $0.01
1 large egg: 74 calories, 5 g fat, $0.13
3 large egg whites: 51 calories, 0.2 g fat, $0.38
1 cup (scant) 2% milk: 123 calories, 4.9 g fat, $0.24
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract: 1 calorie, 0 g fat, $0.06
1/8 teaspoon almond extract (optional): negligible calories and fat, $0.10
1 tablespoon unsalted butter: 101 calories, 11.3 g fat, $0.06
1-1/4 to 1-1/2 cups fresh fruit (blueberries, here): 103 calories, 0.5 g fat, $1.99
3 tablespoons brandy, amaretto, Grand Marnier, or Cointreau: 114 calories, 0 g fat, $0.71
TOTAL: 989 calories, 22.5 g fat, $3.81
PER SERVING (TOTAL/3): 247 calories, 5.6 g fat, $0.95